The classification and treatment of psychopathology within mental health care fields rests upon a set of assumptions that are important for those working in these fields to be aware of. One core assumption that has been present in the shaping of psychiatry, clinical psychology, and related disciplines is that of the medical model. With regards to mental illness, the medical model generally refers to conceptualization of psychological problems using an illness- or disease-based framework [Siegler and Osmond 1974; Mechanic 1999]. Similar to a cold, a specific mental illness is viewed as a disease that causes a defined set of symptoms or functional deficits. This view relies on a normative paradigm that assumes there is such a thing as “mentally healthy” individuals who do not have mental illness. It also impacts treatment and how symptoms and problematic behaviors are understood by clinicians and patients. The medical model also arguably involves a...
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Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
Brian C. Pilecki
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Pilecki, B.C. [2017]. Medical Model of Psychopathology. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. [eds] Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. //doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_911-1